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Holyoke Re-1J School District will contract with Colorado Association of School Boards (CASB), at an approximate cost of $8,500, for assistance with a superintendent search for the district. The decision was made on a 4-3 vote of the board at its Tuesday, March 3 meeting. Bob Cito had outlined services offered in a CASB superintendent search at a Feb. 25 work session with the board. Voting for CASB assistance were Kris Camblin, Jon King, Laura Krogmeier and Kendon Olofson. Those casting the dissenting votes were Linda Jelden, Dan Kafka and Jeff Tharp. Kafka said he thinks it’s time to think outside the box, and it’s financially prudent to look at shared duties in the superintendent position. He said in entering a CASB search, he feels the assumption will be a candidate will be hired. Tharp said saying “no” to CASB doesn’t mean the district won’t do a search. He simply did not favor spending $8,500 for CASB’s help. Jelden also cited the cost factor. In her experience with searches, she said she is aware it takes a lot of time. However, she feels it’s important for the district to pursue options within the context of a superintendent search. Krogmeier said time is a big issue for her. She feels overwhelmed with the time constraints and favors CASB assistance simply for what they can provide in a superintendent search. Camblin said he agrees on the need to look outside the box. “But we need to get the superintendent search right,” he added. He cited legal advice and direction CASB can provide, adding the superintendent is very important to the district and is worth $8,500. King agreed the dollar amount is small for all CASB can give to the search process. Olofson referenced being on the board in 2003 when CASB assisted with a superintendent search. He said the search was well-run and kept the district on a timeline.

Two teachers hired A vo-ag teacher and JR/SR High language arts teacher were hired for the 2009-10 school year at last week’s board meeting. The positions are open due to the resignation of ag teacher Mike Miller and retirement of language arts teacher Clark Ginapp. Troy Mayfield and Carla May­field from Boise City, Okla. were hired for the respective positions. Troy Mayfield attended NJC in Sterling and earned his B.S. degree in agriculture education from CSU in Fort Collins in 1987. He is completing his second year as ag education teacher in Boise City High School in Oklahoma, where he was named Panhandle Ag Teacher of the Year in 2008. Prior to his current position, Troy served the Branson schools in Colorado from 2000-07, first as an agriculture and biology teacher and then as superintendent/principal for the last five years. In his first 12 years out of college, Troy was director of organization/regional manager for Colorado and Arizona Farm Bureaus. Carla Mayfield earned her B.A. degree from Adams State College in Alamosa in 1987, graduating with a major in journalism and a minor in English. She obtained her education hours from Adams State in 1989. She has eight years teaching experience in high school English and one year in middle school language arts. The past two years she’s taught in Keyes, Okla. and from 2000-07 was in the Branson schools.Bus purchase plan approved A plan to purchase two buses and one smaller vehicle was approved at last week’s board meeting, after board members heard a thorough and well-researched report from transportation supervisor Robert Jacobs. Bids will be reviewed, with a specific proposal to be presented at the March 17 board meeting. Kafka’s motion for bus purchasing cited borrowing money for one of the buses for one year. “Even in hard financial times, you have to keep your plant up,” said Kafka, adding it’s unrealistic to think the district is not going to handle its own transportation. Jacobs noted the district presently has three buses which could be replaced, with one bus costing in the range of $80,000. The government has mandated new emissions ranges for medium/heavy duty diesl engines, and Jacobs estimates an additional cost range of $12,000-$14,000 per bus for 2010 and at least that much more in 2012 due to another change. He would like to avoid the new changed engines when they first come out, to give time for them to be perfected. He also cited potential federal government seat belt requirements in buses could add another $6,000 cost per bus. Jacobs said the district has four vehicles which the staff uses for travel to meetings and training. One of those is tied up much of the time with drivers’ education, and the district is also transporting daily to Sterling. He recommended replacing a small vehicle each year as the best choice.More HVAC funding sought Board member Dan Kafka reported to the board that he’s had discussion with Michelle Van Overbeke about trying to secure additional capital funding, specifically for the HVAC project. He cited a possible second grant application which Van Overbeke is willing to volunteer her services for. Kafka asked if there was any objection to him working with Van Overbeke, Supt. Stephen Bohrer and finance director Sharon Thompson on this. Dr. Bohrer also reported a representative will be in Holyoke this week to see the project to determine if more can be done in financial assistance.

Other business In other business March 3, the Re-1J board: —heard from language arts/reading curriculum members Kimberlee Bennett, Clark Ginapp and Joyce Barkey. They reported the subject area curriculum has been reviewed and revised the last several years and has now been approved by the leadership team. The final step will be board approval, which is anticipated at the March 17 meeting. —agreed to provide transportation for the March 19 senior class trip to Broomfield, where class members will go to Boondocks, Flat Irons Mall and a hockey game. —approved application for Type V substitute teaching authorizaton for Kayla Young and Tina McNul­ty. —repealed the board policy on tobacco use and abuse. —held a 70-minute executive session with Supt. Bohrer and Principal Ortner for personnel reasons. —heard highlights from Dr. Bohrer on the American Association of School Administrators convention which he attended recently in San Francisco, Calif.